「 ■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■. 」

You can’t remember how you ended up here. Only that phrase echoes in your ears, murmuring something you can't quite grasp. It’s as if you understand these words without truly comprehending them. Were they even words at all?

Around you stretches a desolate landscape—a dark, cold expanse. The ground beneath your feet is damp, and the sound of your breathing reverberates faintly in the distance. You seem to be the only one here. In fact, who are you? You can’t recall. How old are you? Are you a boy or a girl?

As you take a step forward, your foot sinks into a thin layer of water you hadn't noticed at first. The ripple created by your movement spreads endlessly outward, and as it travels, small luminous orbs rise from the water’s surface, appearing almost like fireflies.

You approach one of the orbs, reaching out a hand toward the gently glimmering sphere. When your fingertip makes contact, you flinch and immediately pull your hand back. The orb drifts back down, merging with the water. For a fleeting moment, you felt as if you had become someone else. Memories that weren’t yours flashed through your mind. You didn’t know this person’s name, or where they came from, but it felt like you’d always known them. Why would the memories of a stranger exist in this place? Why were they allowing you to access them?

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The realization brings tears to your eyes, which fall into the vast water around you. You can’t fully understand what you're feeling; no words could capture it. A warmth, both melancholy and joyful, desperate and sorrowful, now fills your heart.

Now you know why. Why that phrase haunted you so deeply, even though you didn’t understand it? Now, you understand it as if, despite always being right in front of you, you’re seeing it for the first time.

「 ■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■. 」

The words echo in your ears again, as if to reassure you. You hadn’t noticed, but your tears hadn’t stopped falling.

You take a deep breath and stand, wiping your tears away with a swipe of your sleeve.

In the distance, a faint yellow light was visible.